Crankcase fume filtering and removing apparatus



Aug. 22, 1961 c. N. HOLMES 2,997,033

CRANKCASE FUME FILTERING AND REMOVING APPARATUS Filed Dec. 18, 1959 GYNHoZmea INVENTOR I BY ATTORNEYS United States Patent 2,997,033 CRANKCASE FUME FILTERING AND REMOVING APPARATUS Charles N. Holmes, Trenton, Mo. Filed Dec. 18, 1959, Ser. No. 860,592 1 Claim. (Cl. 123--41.86)

This device relates to fume hoods for use on the crankcase of an internal combustion engine, and has as one of its objects the provision of means in the form of a suction fan for drawing the fumes from the crankcase, and at the same time visually collecting water and other foreign matter that is normally released through a breather pipe in the crankcase of an internal combustion engine.

Another object of this invention is the provision of a fume hood that will prevent the fumes and vapors from the crankcase of an internal combustion engine from entering objectionable areas of the vehicle, such as the interior of an automobile body.

Still another object of this invention is the provision of a fume hood that requires little or no maintenance and may be installed by the average person unfamiliar with mechanics.

Other and further objects and advantages of this invention will be hereinafter described and the novel features thereof defined in the appended claims.

Referring to the drawing:

FIGURE 1 is a plan view of this invention attached to the side of a crankcase.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken substantially along line 22 of FIG. 1 as viewed in the direction indicated by the arrows.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken substantially along line 3-3 of FIG. 2 as viewed in the direction indicated by the arrows.

Similar reference characters refer to similar parts throughout the several views of the drawing.

Having reference now to the drawing in detail, and in particular to FIG. 2, there is generally indicated by the reference character 5 a housing that may be stamped out of sheet metal or otherwise formed from any desired and suitable material. The housing 5 contains an inlet pipe 6 which has one end secured in the breather opening of a crankcase c of an internal combustion engine, and has its other end projecting inside the housing 5 and downward into a container 7, which is either transparent or contains a window through which its contents may at all times be observed. Container 7 is secured to said housing 5 by threads or in any other suitable manner so that it may readily be detached for emptying from time to time. Over the top of housing 5 there is mounted a fan housing 8 supporting an electric motor 9 which drives a suction fan 10 located inside the fan housing 8, as is clearly shown in FIG. 2.

An bafile 11 is secured to the top edge of housing 5 inside of fan housing 8 between suction fan 10 and intake pipe 6. Screens 12 and air filter 13 are also secured to the inside of housing 5 as shown in FIG. 2 of the appended drawing.

An optional form of construction of one detail of this Patented Aug. 22, 1961 ice 2 device would be to replace the said electric motor 9 with a motor driven by the exhaust gases of the internal combustion engine to which this device is attached. The basic construction of the device would of course not be affected by such a modification.

As previously stated, this device is secured to the crankcase of an internal combustion engine by replacing the usual breather pipe with the intake pipe 6 of this device. The wires 9' of the electric motor are connected to a suitable switch within easy reach of the operator of the vehicle, the switch being, in turn, connected in a suitable electric supply system, not shown, through wires 9'. When the switch is turned on and the electric motor 9 is started, the suction fan 10 will draw out all fumes and vapors that are present in the crankcase of the internal combustion engine, through the intake pipe 6. Water or other foreign matter passing through intake pipe 6 will be deposited into the container 7, where it may be observed from time to time, to the end that the container 7 may be emptied when necessary.

From the foregoing it will now be seen that there is herein provided an improved fume hood which accomplishes all of the objects of this invention, and others, including many advantages of great practical utility and commercial importance.

As many embodiments may be made of this inventive concept, and as many modifications may be made in the embodiment hereinbefore shown and described, it will be understood that all matter herein is to be interpreted merely as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

I claim:

A fume filtering apparatus for internal combustion engine crankcase having a breather opening, comprising a housing having a tapered funnel-like bottom externally threaded, a container having internal threads fitted on said externally threaded end of said funnel-like bottom of said housing, an inlet pipe having one of its ends extending into said breather opening of the crankcase, the other end of said inlet pipe extending downwardly through said housing, terminating in said container, a filter embodying a pair of spaced screens and a filtering member disposed within the space between said screens, mounted Within said housing, a circular bafiie plate mounted in spaced relation with said filter above said filter, having a central opening through which fumes are drawn from said housing, through said filter to exhaust, a fan unit embodying a fan housing, fitted over the upper end of said main housing above said bafile plate, in which an electric fan is mounted and an electric motor mounted on the housing of said fan unit operatively associated with said electric fan adapted to draw filtered fumes from said crankcase.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,553,894 Calloway May 22, 1951 2,578,577 Morris Dec. 11, 1951 2,785,767 Glidden Mar. 19, 1957 2,790,508 Allander et al Apr. 30, 1957 2,889,007 Lunde June 2, 1959 

